Restrictive North versus Permissive South? Revisiting Dominant Narratives on the Evolution of the Refugee Regime

Abstract

The evolution of the international refugee regime is ostensibly driven by three ongoing processes: the proliferation of protection frameworks, growing restrictiveness in the Global North, and the liberalization of asylum in the Global South. Insights from the novel SACOP dataset, which provides original information on asylum policies in 195 states from 1951 to 2021, question these widely shared assumptions. Essentially, the data reveals the persistence of non-regulation in refugee protection in North Africa and Asia and highlights the global spread of restrictive policies. These findings oppose the view that the Global North and South are moving in opposite directions regarding refugee protection.